The Future of EU Competition Law: Regulating at Machine Speed?
About:
Artificial intelligence has moved to the center of competition policy in Europe and beyond. Yet Europe’s main competition tools—the EU Merger Regulation, Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), and the Digital Markets Act (DMA)—were designed for an earlier technological era.
The European Commission’s first review of the DMA and its draft Merger Guidelines bring that tension into focus. Both identify AI and cloud services as enforcement priorities, while the draft guidelines expressly address AI, algorithms, ecosystems, and noncontrolling links between companies.
Join the International Center for Law & Economics (ICLE) and the ULiège Institute for EU Legal Studies in Brussels on 2 November for an expert conference on how EU competition law should respond to AI.
Two panels will examine whether merger control can—or should—reach the partnerships and “acquihire” arrangements through which much AI consolidation has occurred. They will also consider whether Article 102 TFEU and the DMA offer the right tools for policing conduct in markets where today’s challengers and incumbents remain unclear.
One question connects both discussions. Act too late, and dominant positions may harden. Act too early, and enforcement may suppress the competition it seeks to protect.
Each panel will emphasize substantive debate rather than a series of presentations, with ample time for audience questions.
Space is limited. Early registration is encouraged.
Keynote Speaker:
- Natalie Harsdorf (Director General, Austrian Federal Competition Authority)
Confirmed Speakers:
- Dirk Auer (Director of Competition Policy, International Center for Law & Economics)
- Giuseppe Colangelo (Professor of Competition Law and Economics; Senior Scholar, University of Basilicata; International Center for Law & Economics)
- Jérôme de Cooman (Research Professor, University of Liège)
- Assimakis Komninos (Partner, White & Case LLP)
- Geoffrey A. Manne (President & Founder, International Center for Law & Economics)
- Frédéric Marty (Research Director, CNRS; GREDEG, Université Côte d’Azur)
- Anita Magraner Oliver (Partner, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP)
- Ana Pendes (Case Handler, European Commision, DG Comp)
- Pierre Régibeau (Competition Expert, Analysis Group)
- Elodie Vandenhende (Deputy Head, Digital Economy Unit, French Competition Commission)
